What Nicole Wore

style + beauty blog in the dc metro area

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As Seen on Instagram: What I Wore

I cannot believe it’s already June! I’m currently taking a long weekend in Chicago — I’m catching up with a good friend and heading to the IG meet up tomorrow (yay!). Be sure to follow along on IG if you’re not already: @whatnicolewore.

Let’s look back at this past week:

charming charlie bracelet {old, similar} + jcrew pavé link bracelet {similar} + watch via groupon {available here in green and gold}
This watch is one of several purchases I made over Memorial Day weekend <insert monkey covering eyes emoji>. I was doing SO well and then Sunday and Monday happened. I was scrolling through Groupon Goods looking for items that might be good side gifts for Father’s Day and all the summer birthdays I have coming up when I bought this. For myself.

It’s so witty though, how could I pass it up?!

ann taylor tank {thrifted, super old, love this sequined option} + roz & ali black jeans {last seen here} + nail polish
I’m pretty good about keeping my closet organized, but I’m horrible about taking clothes to the dry cleaners so I usually have a pile going for months that eventually ends up going and then I am shocked when it gets back because I forgot I had all these fun items. I’m also super cheap and typically don’t buy clothes that are dry clean only.

I grabbed this sweater tank from my local Clothes Mentor a couple years ago; they were having a sidewalk sale so this pretty, sequined and beaded tank was only $3. Sold! It’s been super muggy, hot and gross in Louisville since I got back from vacation and I’m allowed to wear sleeveless tops at my new job so I pulled this out and paired it with black jeans for a dressed up, casual look.

target kids leopard print shirt {old, similar | last seen here} + j crew factory chino shorts {retail version} + target style wedges {old, similar | last seen here} + statement necklace via eBay {similar | last seen here}
target kids leopard print shirt {old | last seen here} + j crew factory chino shorts {retail version} + target style wedges {old, similar | last seen here} + statement necklace via eBay {last seen here} + nail polish
Talk about stunting for the ‘gram. I took full advantage of a relaxing Sunday and stayed in my sorority tee until around 3 when I finally got dressed. I love pairing leopard print with bright color so I pulled out my chino shorts and a loud statement necklace. Easy peasy.

gap factory tee {similar, on sale | last seen here} + hm cardigan via thredUP {similar | last seen here} + hm chino pants {last seen here} + longchamp bag {thrifted | last seen here} + tassel necklace via livingsocial
I wanted to add some color to my outfit since it was so dreary outside. I like the amount of white in this striped tee from Gap Factory — I really like that it was less than $2. I grabbed my coral chino pants and played around with which cardigan to wear since it was a little chilly before settling on the royal blue.

I originally planned on going straight to the gym from work so I loaded up my Longchamp with all the little things I was carrying and my smaller purse.

francesca’s collection bracelet {not available online} + francesca’s collection druzy bracelet + michael kors watch
One of my favorite things to do is play with jewelry so I’m super glad I get to do that at work. I’m so in love with druzy pieces right now, it isn’t even funny. Currently on my wish list: this one that appeared in my Rocksbox awhile back and I talked myself out of keeping, this stunning ring, and this piece that’s on sale but I’ve been refraining from buying.

Jesus be some willpower (or a winning lottery ticket).

target style button down {old, this year’s version} + loren hope necklace c/o rocksbox + shop minted bracelet {sold out} + shop versona bracelet + nail polish
I love mail days, but I especially love Rocksbox mail days. I’m admittedly too curious and impatient to wait until the set gets to me, so I usually check my account and see what my stylist is sending my way. I’ve been over the moon obsessed with Loren Hope’s line lately but the price is a bit steep for me so I love that I can wish list them and keep them on loan as long as I want. My tiny wrists make my shy away from getting bracelets and my pierced ears closed up years ago but here are some of my favorite pieces by Loren. She really does such a great job of incorporating color into her pieces and I think so much bright goodness is what really draws me to the line.

I paired this box’s neutral colored necklace with my seahorse button down and gold and pink accessories.

old navy tank {old, similar} + hm palm print skirt {old, similar here and here} + charming charlie ring + kate spade new york bag via nordstrom rack {love this one} + nail polish
I could not for the life of me decide on an outfit. I really wanted to wear one of the skirts I got in the mail from J. Crew Factory but boo hoo, neither fit me in a way I liked. I eventually ended up digging out both of these items that I haven’t worn in forever. The skirt is a tulip cut that always ends up flying up on windy days and the top was so wrinkled, I wasn’t sure if my iron would even be able to save it. (Note to self: buy steamer.)

Luckily, my poor ironing skills got most of the wrinkles out and the weather was pretty calm so I didn’t flash anyone. #Winning

Hope y’all have had a great week. I’m off to eat more donuts for National Donut Day.

Xo, Nicole

Where Nicole Went: Day Trips from Florence

On the fourth day of our trip, my parents and I went to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.

cutest wi-fi sign!
cutest wi-fi sign!
Pisa is pretty straightforward — once you get off the train you walk straight down a main street for about a mile and then turn left. About a half a mile later, boom, you’re at the Leaning Tower.

last couple blocks of the walk
last couple blocks of the walk
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Must Have Monday: LUSH Cosmetics D’Fluff

The summer months are upon us and that means wearing all the skirts, dresses, shorts and cropped pants you can dig out of your closet and still fit in, if you’re anything like me. Summer’s my absolute fave because warm weather + my birthday + patio hangs + laying out. What I don’t love about it, is the constant need to shave.

Last fall, LUSH introduced D’Fluff to their American product line and I have been in love ever since.

lush d’fluff

D’Fluff is a shaving soap that contains fresh ingredients like strawberries, coconut oil, vanilla extract, rose oil, cocoa butter, egg whites and orange oil. It smells good in the jar and even better in the shower.

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As Seen on Instagram: What I Wore

I want to be transparent with readers when it comes to blogging so I did want to share that I recently joined an affiliate program and am using some affiliate links in blog posts. I do feel very strongly about maintaining integrity with these links so you will not see me linking “similar” items that are hundreds of dollars when I’m wearing something that’s not. When possible, I will link to the exact item — regardless of whether the retailer is available through my affiliate program or not. Similar links will continue to be within the price range that I feel is appropriate in my shopping.

If you have any questions at all about this, please feel free to email me.

You may also notice that I’ve started to link to “last seen here/last styled here” in captions. I’m a big believer in closet remixing. While I definitely love to shop, I don’t think that you have to constantly buy new items to dress well. I’m hoping having these link backs may help someone out there if they have a similar item to see various ways of styling an item.

On to more exciting things:

old navy dress {worn as blouse, old, similar | last seen here} + loft gingham shorts {thrifted, similar, similar | last seen here} + banana republic inspired necklace via eBay {old | last seen here}

On my first day home from vacation the most exciting thing I did was go to Kroger to pick up fruit to make a smoothie. It felt so good to be lazy though. Reuniting with my bed has been spiritual, to say the least.

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Nicole’s Soup for the Soul: 5.28.15

Was anyone else obsessed with the Chicken Soup for the Soul books? I used to always use any time I could get at the library to snag one and pour over the tragic stories that ended happily (and sometimes not). I wanted to start sharing some of the articles, blog posts and photos that lift me up, make me think and better me so you’ll always find it under “soup for the soul.”

image found via pinterest
image found via pinterest

The Pros and Cons of Loop Giveaways by Dressing Dallas

Lauren does a great job of touching on her experiences with being a part of loops and why she’s careful when selecting which ones to participate in. One of my favorite points from her is this, “The more loop giveaways you do, the more followers are only there for the giveaways, and could care less about your content! That is horrible for bloggers and shops because it never converts to real readers and real sales.”

At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to do their own thing; being able to connect with readers and companies is something that makes me happy at the end of the day. Having the ability to communicate with my followers is more important than immediately increasing the quantity.

10 Takeaways from “Terrible Things Women Do to Each Other” from Oprah’s life class

I’m certainly guilty of some of the things this warns against doing – oops, but it’s a good reminder on focusing on bettering yourself and living to lift others up instead of tearing them down.

One of my biggest struggles so far in my 20s has been dealing with friends who only know how to speak badly about other friends. It’s natural to be annoyed with someone’s behavior or how they handled a situation, but when all you can talk about is the negative feelings you have on someone else’s life, you’ve become toxic, in my mind.

This gets tackled as well as the destructiveness of negative self-thinking and talk. One of my favorite nuggets of wisdom comes from Iyanla Vanzant, “Comparison is an act of violence against the self.”

The Comparison Game by Chelcey Tate

Chelcey talks about getting so caught up in getting inspired that you get discouraged. Creating content should be fun, but sometimes you do get a creative block and sometimes it’s disheartening when it seems like no one else does. The online world, social media especially, allows us to handpick which angles, stories and experiences we share. Things aren’t usually quite as perfect as they may seem from the outside.

My favorite tidbit, “your story is good enough to tell, and you’re good enough to tell it.”

Kate Spade Everpurse Partnership

If you follow me on Pinterest, you more than likely already saw this but holy game changer! While the purses aren’t cheap — the fact that it wirelessly charges and then holds battery charge for your iPhone with no plugging in, is pretty amazing. I want to learn more before I invest, but this is definitely an item on my wish list.

What’s inspiring you this week?

xo, Nicole